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TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader. Along with two annual conferences -- the TED Conference on the West Coast each spring, and the TEDGlobal conference in Edinburgh UK each summer -- TED includes the award-winning TED Talks video site, the Open Translation Project and TED Conversations, the inspiring TED Fellows and TEDx programs, and the annual TED Prize.

The two annual TED conferences, on the North American West Coast and in Edinburgh, Scotland, bring together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes or less).

On TED.com, we make the best talks and performances from TED and partners available to the world, for free. More than 1400 TED Talks are now available, with more added each week. All of the talks are subtitled in English, and many are subtitled in various languages. These videos are released under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND license, so they can be freely shared and reposted.

Our mission: Spreading ideas.

We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world. So we're building here a clearinghouse that offers free knowledge and inspiration from the world's most inspired thinkers, and also a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other. This site, launched April 2007, is an ever-evolving work in progress, and you're an important part of it. Have an idea? We want to hear from you.

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Speakers Wingham Rowan: Policy entrepreneur

Wingham Rowan is the founder of social business Slivers-of-Time, which runs online markets for microworking and micro-volunteering.

Why you should listen to him:

Wingham Rowan is the Project Director of Slivers-of-Time Working, a UK government-funded initiative that uses advanced (but easy to use) trading technology to help individuals who need to work (on their own terms and at times of their choosing) connect with employers who need their labor. Employers expanding their workforce in this new way include local authorities, housing associations, NHS Primary Care Trusts, retailers and caterers.

Rowan is the former producer and presenter of the UK’s longest running television series about the Internet, cyber.cafe, and the presenter of the children’s TV program Rowan’s Report. He's is the author of two books about the social potential of online markets.

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Speakers Colin Powell: Former U.S. Secretary of State

General Colin Powell was the first African-American to serve as U.S. Secretary of State.

Why you should listen to him:

Four-star General Colin Powell was the first African-American U.S. Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. Prior to his service Powell was also the first African-American to serve as Chairman to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, an office he held from 1989 to 1993. But how did young Powell, a C student from the Bronx and a child of Jamaican immigrants, reach the highest military position in the Department of Defense?

While Powell was attending university at City College of New York, he found his calling in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC). He graduated to become an Army second lieutenant and later went on to serve two tours in the Vietnam War. In 1989 under President George H. W. Bush, Powell was made a full general, before being named 12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Powell is the Founding Chairman of America's Promise Alliance, an organization which supports children through volunteer networks.

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Speakers Marc Goodman: Global Security Futurist

Marc Goodman works to prevent future crimes and acts of terrorism, even those security threats not yet invented.

Why you should listen to him:

Marc Goodman imagines the future crime and terrorism challenges we will all face as a result of advancing technologies. He thinks deeply about the disruptive security implications of robotics, artificial intelligence, social data, virtual reality and synthetic biology. Technology, he says, is affording exponentially growing power to non-state actors and rogue players, with significant consequences for our common global security. How to respond to these threats? The crime-fighting solution might just lie in crowdsourcing.

Goodman heads the Future Crimes Institute, a think tank and clearinghouse that researches and advises on the security and risk implications of emerging technologies. He also serves as the Global Security Advisor and Chair for Policy and Law at Singularity University.

"Moore’s Law moves fast, Goodman points out, while statute progresses like molasses. In between lies a huge potential for economic growth and public good — or stagnation, discord, and collapse. "

Ted Greenwald on Forbes.com

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TED CONVERSATIONS

"We will not find an alternative to energy dense, easily transportabe conventional oil in time to sustain indefinite economic growth."

Bunch of smart people they got there, accomplished in their fields, some whose work I like and respect, nonetheless. In a way it reminds me of Scientology, an Elite Club for the easily flattered.

Social relationships have their inherent logic; as long as people live in given mutual relationships they will feel, think and act in a given way, and no other. Attempts on the part of public men to combat this logic also would be fruitless; the natural course of things (this logic of social relationships) would reduce all his effort to nought. But if I know in what direction social relations are changing owing to given changes in the social-economic process of production, I also know in what direction social mentality is changing; consequently, I am able to influence it. Influencing social mentality means influencing historical events. Hence, in a certain sense, I can make history, and there is no need for me to wait while "it is being made."

We do not have true free market capitalism. We have statism. We have a violent central government using force to distort trade, and we have a private central bank that the state has granted total control of interest rates and money supply, which which makes it impossible to have free market capitalism. The problems we have now are not the result of capitalism, but the result of the Statism. The government (state) that caused the problems would love to scapegoat capitalism.

We do not have true free market capitalism. We have statism. We have a violent central government using force to distort trade, and we have a private central bank that the state has granted total control of interest rates and money supply, which which makes it impossible to have free market capitalism. The problems we have now are not the result of capitalism, but the result of the Statism. The government (state) that caused the problems would love to scapegoat capitalism.

This is rampant.

Jesus Christ... Such unmitigated delusion. This writer has no understanding of...well...anything. Where does this "state" get its support? What purpose does it serve and who benefits? Who does the government protect and why? And this is not even broaching the topic of "capitalism", of which this guy has no idea. It is bracing.

“There is no historical fact that did not owe its origin to social economics; but it is no less true to say that there is no historical fact that was not preceded, not accompanied, and not succeeded by a definite state of consciousness.” - G. Plekhanov

We do not have true free market capitalism. We have statism. We have a violent central government using force to distort trade, and we have a private central bank that the state has granted total control of interest rates and money supply, which which makes it impossible to have free market capitalism. The problems we have now are not the result of capitalism, but the result of the Statism. The government (state) that caused the problems would love to scapegoat capitalism.

This is rampant.

Stupid Ron Paul libertarianism, paper thin. Have you seen Obama scapgoating capitalism? Didn't think so. Has BP been expropriated yet? Nope. Has Taft-Hartley been repealed? No fucking way. And who got all the money? And where did they get it from?

It is a testimony to our weakness that these assholes can show their faces without hoots of derision, a hail of rotten eggs or worse.

Social relationships have their inherent logic; as long as people live in given mutual relationships they will feel, think and act in a given way, and no other. Attempts on the part of public men to combat this logic also would be fruitless; the natural course of things (this logic of social relationships) would reduce all his effort to nought. But if I know in what direction social relations are changing owing to given changes in the social-economic process of production, I also know in what direction social mentality is changing; consequently, I am able to influence it. Influencing social mentality means influencing historical events. Hence, in a certain sense, I can make history, and there is no need for me to wait while "it is being made."

Three-Quarters of Progressive Caucus Not Taking a Stand Against Cuts in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid

For the social compact of the United States, most of the Congressional Progressive Caucus has gone missing.

While still on the caucus roster, three-quarters of the 70-member caucus seem lost in political smog. Those 54 members of the Progressive Caucus haven’t signed the current letter that makes a vital commitment: “we will vote against any and every cut to Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security benefits -- including raising the retirement age or cutting the cost of living adjustments that our constituents earned and need.”

Social relationships have their inherent logic; as long as people live in given mutual relationships they will feel, think and act in a given way, and no other. Attempts on the part of public men to combat this logic also would be fruitless; the natural course of things (this logic of social relationships) would reduce all his effort to nought. But if I know in what direction social relations are changing owing to given changes in the social-economic process of production, I also know in what direction social mentality is changing; consequently, I am able to influence it. Influencing social mentality means influencing historical events. Hence, in a certain sense, I can make history, and there is no need for me to wait while "it is being made."

I think that the point is that these liberals are finally able to drop a good deal of their facade. This is, after all, exactly what has been predicted on this board - that with the political "success" of Obama, liberals would become less and less discernible from conservatives, and be seen as simply right-wing hacks. It used to be "DLC", then "Blue Dogs", then "main-stream", now it's just Democrat.

“There is no historical fact that did not owe its origin to social economics; but it is no less true to say that there is no historical fact that was not preceded, not accompanied, and not succeeded by a definite state of consciousness.” - G. Plekhanov

Most liberal condemnation of Cruz, West, and their ilk, however, points out the ridiculousness of these false claims. However they often also implicitly accept the premise-that Communists are to be condemned, just for being Communists.

Several decades ago in Seattle, there was a horrific murder of the Goldmark family. The father was a prominent liberal Democrat. A demented individual, goaded on by the propaganda of a fringe right-wing group then known as the "Duck Club," murdered him, his wife, and their two children on Christmas Eve.

The entire community was properly outraged; the perpetrator was arrested and convicted. The Duck Club had to disband. In the process, the editorial page of the Seattle Times opined that this crime was particularly vicious and idiotic because the delusion that Goldmark was a Communist was so egregiously phony.

However, the way they discussed this, it seemed as if, had the accusation been true, the crime would have been less horrific. This liberal acceptance of the terms of anti-communism betrays a second form of anti-communist smear.

The author might have expanded upon this theme, but instead abandons this fruitful ground in order to go for the low hanging fruit of right wing bashing. Is this a topic which readers of a 'left wing' publication need to review? Round it off with prostrations of utter innocuousness and the CPUSA's harmlessness to the government and I think ya got some Philistinism going on.

Social relationships have their inherent logic; as long as people live in given mutual relationships they will feel, think and act in a given way, and no other. Attempts on the part of public men to combat this logic also would be fruitless; the natural course of things (this logic of social relationships) would reduce all his effort to nought. But if I know in what direction social relations are changing owing to given changes in the social-economic process of production, I also know in what direction social mentality is changing; consequently, I am able to influence it. Influencing social mentality means influencing historical events. Hence, in a certain sense, I can make history, and there is no need for me to wait while "it is being made."

Capitalism is in essence the right to work, save and invest for more income (build up capital). That's all it is. Marxists have twisted it into anything but that.

Capitalism is not the problem... Government intervention by corrupt politicians, or just honest politicians intervening to serve uneducated voters is the problem. Government intervention is totalitarian and the precursor of corruption (who gets the benefit of licensing and what will they pay for it, who will they pay it to.)

Democracy is incompatible with capitalism, but capitalism makes democracy possible, not the other way around. Markets operate under any social system which is not socialism.

Capitalism is in fact a social distortion created by a sub-set of homo sapiens, specifically those suffering from the genetic defects of psychopathy and to a lesser extent those suffering from the genetic defect of narcissism.
Both of them place the ego and lust of the individual over the future of the social group, up to including the extinction of the social group if it satisfies the urges of the psychopath.
Capitalism is basically just a result of psychopathy, a symptom of the affect genetic defect upon human social groups.
Overall humanity must decide whether to remain insane or whether to eliminate the influence and power of psychopaths upon human society and prevent a sustained high risk of human extinction.

Social relationships have their inherent logic; as long as people live in given mutual relationships they will feel, think and act in a given way, and no other. Attempts on the part of public men to combat this logic also would be fruitless; the natural course of things (this logic of social relationships) would reduce all his effort to nought. But if I know in what direction social relations are changing owing to given changes in the social-economic process of production, I also know in what direction social mentality is changing; consequently, I am able to influence it. Influencing social mentality means influencing historical events. Hence, in a certain sense, I can make history, and there is no need for me to wait while "it is being made."

I say they are both headed for re-education camps, when the working class wins the war.

“There is no historical fact that did not owe its origin to social economics; but it is no less true to say that there is no historical fact that was not preceded, not accompanied, and not succeeded by a definite state of consciousness.” - G. Plekhanov

...when you think you can run and hide from the beast in your little libertarian paradise.

"I'm NOT going to be a Walmart greeter so I'm building an off-grid tiny
house and buying cheap land to park it on so I won't have to pay a
mortgage or rent and will have more 'disposable' income."

We read the writing on the wall and came to similar conclusions a few years ago. We sold our big house on a small lot and are retiring to a small house on a bigger piece of land. Smaller = lower property taxes, smaller to heat and cool, less trouble to take care of as we age. And we can have an extensive garden so we can continue to enjoy organic fruits and veggies as well as pastured chicken eggs on a low fixed income.

I used to think we were behind the curve, having kept nearly all our savings out of 401(k)s and IRAs. That now turns out to have accidentally served us well. We're in our mid-fifties and have access to our own savings w/o paying a penalty - which we can use to invest in an affordable paid-off place to live when we retire.

Ah, kindred souls! So nice to see more and more folks who think like we do...

I'm planning for a garden, chickens and goats... I'm going to be self-sufficient and will work my own land on my mini-homestead!

People are constantly asking how I'm going to live in less square footage than my bedroom in my apartment and I tell them quite happily because I'm not going to have all of the 'stuff' that most people believe you 'need' nowadays to monopolize my time and finances...

What do we really need to live a happy, fulfilling life? A roof over your head, a place to sleep, eat, relax and a bathroom. I'm not even planning on having running water or plumbing because I'm going primitive, using wash basins and a composting toilet. I'll have a grey water filtering system using a plant and rock setup and am going to buy a personal atmospheric water generator so I won't even have to have a well or water delivered. I have experience with this lifestyle from spending childhood summers with no running water or electricity and know how fulfilling true self-sufficiency really is!!

Having no indoor plumbing is going to save me money on those kinds of repairs and I believe homesteading and the fairly simple chores that go along with it will keep me active and limber into old age by incorporating exercise into daily chores.

...when you think you can run and hide from the beast in your little libertarian paradise.

Jesus god...is this Monty Python?

“There is no historical fact that did not owe its origin to social economics; but it is no less true to say that there is no historical fact that was not preceded, not accompanied, and not succeeded by a definite state of consciousness.” - G. Plekhanov

Could be, these people are not serious, they are mummers. If they were serious they could just move to the rez and their lifestyle goals would be met, not that the locals would have them.

Social relationships have their inherent logic; as long as people live in given mutual relationships they will feel, think and act in a given way, and no other. Attempts on the part of public men to combat this logic also would be fruitless; the natural course of things (this logic of social relationships) would reduce all his effort to nought. But if I know in what direction social relations are changing owing to given changes in the social-economic process of production, I also know in what direction social mentality is changing; consequently, I am able to influence it. Influencing social mentality means influencing historical events. Hence, in a certain sense, I can make history, and there is no need for me to wait while "it is being made."

You know you are a philistine if you are getting ready to support the President in a Grand Bargain. You know its coming. You know you are going to support it. You know that you will put aside any objections you had on this issue or any other issue... in order to be realistic.. like a good German Philistine.

You know you are a philistine if you are getting ready to oppose the President in a Grand Bargain. You know its coming. You know you are going to hate it. You also know that you are going to whine, cry, talk extreme talk, and shake your fist at the gods... and in the end... you will end up supporting/voting/deciding you will surrender all your objections... while you wait for realllllllllyyyyyy progressive Democrats to stem the tide... or for the end of Citizens United... or for REVOLUTION... or for some other shit... like a good German Philistine.

You know you are a philistine if you are getting ready to support the President in a Grand Bargain. You know its coming. You know you are going to support it. You know that you will put aside any objections you had on this issue or any other issue... in order to be realistic.. like a good German Philistine.

You know you are a philistine if you are getting ready to oppose the President in a Grand Bargain. You know its coming. You know you are going to hate it. You also know that you are going to whine, cry, talk extreme talk, and shake your fist at the gods... and in the end... you will end up supporting/voting/deciding you will surrender all your objections... while you wait for realllllllllyyyyyy progressive Democrats to stem the tide... or for the end of Citizens United... or for REVOLUTION... or for some other shit... like a good German Philistine.

You are a Democrat, a loyalist of the party of American Philistinism.

Why not embrace it? It really is all about you.

You haven't been betrayed.

You are betrayel personified.

You know, it would seem that eventually, somewhere along the way, more and more folks would just drop this silly shit. They got nothing; absolutely nothing. They can't fix any of it, they can't effect anything, they can't even explain anything. Maybe that is what makes them such philistines - they embrace their inner philistine. They are just waiting for some kid with a slingshot to chop off their heads...

“There is no historical fact that did not owe its origin to social economics; but it is no less true to say that there is no historical fact that was not preceded, not accompanied, and not succeeded by a definite state of consciousness.” - G. Plekhanov

You know you are a philistine if you are getting ready to support the President in a Grand Bargain. You know its coming. You know you are going to support it. You know that you will put aside any objections you had on this issue or any other issue... in order to be realistic.. like a good German Philistine.

You know you are a philistine if you are getting ready to oppose the President in a Grand Bargain. You know its coming. You know you are going to hate it. You also know that you are going to whine, cry, talk extreme talk, and shake your fist at the gods... and in the end... you will end up supporting/voting/deciding you will surrender all your objections... while you wait for realllllllllyyyyyy progressive Democrats to stem the tide... or for the end of Citizens United... or for REVOLUTION... or for some other shit... like a good German Philistine.

You are a Democrat, a loyalist of the party of American Philistinism.

Why not embrace it? It really is all about you.

You haven't been betrayed.

You are betrayel personified.

The consensus seems to be that Dems know they gotta do entitlements and Pugs know that gotta do revenues. In English that means they're going to cut programs and raise taxes. Maybe instead of Grand Bargain they should go with Jolly Rogering.